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White algae?

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I have something growing in my freshwater 29gallon tank. There is nothing in the tank but a few shrimp pellets, gravel and laterite substrate, and this one piece of driftwood I got from my LFS, where it was sitting in one of his tanks for a few days. It is white and semi-leafy and has a fuzzy quality to it. The tank has not cycled, there is no ammonia or nitrites yet. I can't quite tell what it is, why it is there, or how to get rid of it short of scrubbing it off. I have not yet messed with it so I don't know how it will react to scrubbing.

Sounds like fungus. So whats wrong with cleaning it, then baking for an hour or so at 300 F? That should kill any spores in the wood if it is fungus. Of course, the tank should be cleaned with chloranted cleaner.

Knowledge is fun(damental)

A 75 gal with eight Discus, fake plants, and a lot of wood also with sand substrate. Clean up crew is down to just two Sterba's Corys. Filters: continuous new water flow; canister w/UV, in-tank algae scrubber!! Finally, junked the nitrate removal unit from hell.

Sorry, should have been clear about the filter. Just remove the filter and let it sit while you clean the tank and bake the wood. The filter will be fine to sit for a few hours. Just dry the tank first and let it sit to air out for an hour after cleaning with a chlorinated chemical. Fill the tank with water.

One, just drain out the water in the filter and add new water. Start the tank back up - hopefully, the fungi will not get started again.

Or instead, as long as the filter media isn't treated or allowed to dry out, really you can even clean out the filter container by placing the filter media in the newly filled tank until the filter container is cleaned and dried. Your call on doing that extra step.

Knowledge is fun(damental)

A 75 gal with eight Discus, fake plants, and a lot of wood also with sand substrate. Clean up crew is down to just two Sterba's Corys. Filters: continuous new water flow; canister w/UV, in-tank algae scrubber!! Finally, junked the nitrate removal unit from hell.

well I'm trying to keep the cycle going so I don't have to start over again.

Originally Posted by sweeneyc

The tank has not cycled, there is no ammonia or nitrites yet.

No ammonia or TrItes means showing [At this stage] means you are not currently cycling so you have nothing to lose by breaking it down and cleaning it.

It would be easier to dose accurately using ammonia btw.

Gas mileage isn't everythingOIIIIIIIOLack of planning on your part does not constitute an emergency on my part.Why pretend there are no stupid questions? Actually, There are many stupid questions: "Should I drink this bleach?" Is just one example.
Having said that, Just because it's a stupid question doesn't mean that it shouldn't be asked. It's better to know.A warm beer is better than a cold beer. Because nothing is better than a cold beer, and a warm beer is better than nothing.

well I have my cycle started now, so there is all kinds of other crazy algae growing. But that white fungus is still there..... Could I just take the piece of driftwood out and clean that? or should I just let it go?

Gas mileage isn't everythingOIIIIIIIOLack of planning on your part does not constitute an emergency on my part.Why pretend there are no stupid questions? Actually, There are many stupid questions: "Should I drink this bleach?" Is just one example.
Having said that, Just because it's a stupid question doesn't mean that it shouldn't be asked. It's better to know.A warm beer is better than a cold beer. Because nothing is better than a cold beer, and a warm beer is better than nothing.